by Anya Nowlan
“Yeah?” he asked, feeling a familiar tenseness enter into his bones and muscles.
Like he’d done so many times over the years, Battle subconsciously readied himself for the worst. Clan mates dying, war, hunger, losing his job, losing bears close to him… He’d seen it all and something in him had learned to always expect the worst.
Warren shook his head, smiling slightly.
“Nothing, man. I just wonder who is the woman who’s got the mighty Battle feeling so chipper.”
Like a pressure valve had been released, Battle relaxed and allowed a smile to cross his lips. He hadn’t thought he was so obvious, but apparently he was.
“How could you tell?”
“A bear in love is luckily a common enough sight around Shifter Grove lately, so I can sort of tell by now. Plus, you’ve strung more than three words into a single sentence today, so you must be in a good mood. Someone from back home?”
Battle shook his head, putting the cap back on the bottle.
Back home? Where is home anyway…
“No, I haven’t even met her yet.”
“Ah,” Warren said in a knowing tone. “SassyDate? The bringer of many a fine bride into Shifter Grove. That’s how I met Kacey, you know. And how Deacon got Aubrey back and… well, hell. That damn app has populated half of Shifter Grove. If they ever go on the market, I need to buy shares!”
Battle nodded. That reminded him – he hadn’t had a chance to check his phone since lunch. He pulled the driver side door open and retrieved his beaten up phone, barely ‘smart’ by anyone’s standards, but it was all he needed. Though, truth be told, after chatting with Keesha, he was beginning to wish for something that didn’t take two minutes to load every damn message.
The notification light wasn’t blinking but that didn’t mean anything. He was fairly sure it hadn’t worked since 2011. He powered the phone up and navigated into his messages. The note he saw almost knocked him on the ass.
ParalegalProblems: I’ll be there in two days. You better pick me up at the airport or I will hunt your ass down, Idaho or not. Don’t you play with me, bear! XO
Holy shit. Holy shit!
“Holy shit!”
He couldn’t just keep it in.
He’d been inviting Keesha to come out and smell the roses, or the pine trees – whichever – for weeks now, but it had turned into a bit of a game between them. He’d find ways to weave it into the conversation and she’d find a way to chicken out. And now here she was, saying yes? Holy shit.
“What?” Warren asked, frowning.
The sun was hanging low in the sky and the air was growing colder. For Battle, things had just heated up ten times. He was completely dumbfounded, but not in a bad way. His stomach had dropped into his boots but that was fine. Everything was fine. Great, even!
And then, of course, it wasn’t.
He stared at her words again… Two days – or well, one and a half to be exact.
Battle had been in Shifter Grove for a few weeks. Like all things in his life, he was expecting his stay to be entirely temporary, just a moment in time that would come to pass as soon as he got into some seemingly unavoidable trouble. He lived in a tent. His shower was the river that snaked through Warren’s forests. His understanding of a fancy dinner was catching fish and throwing them on the embers by the fire.
That wasn’t exactly the situation to bring a big city gal into. Especially one like Keesha, who was used to at least the reasonably good things, if not the best things in life – like linens and electricity.
“Battle?” Warren asked again, putting a hand on the bear’s shoulder.
Battle roused, his steely gray eyes filled with a modicum of panic, and a whole lot of excitement.
“I think I need a house. And a shave.”
Fuck. She’s actually showing up.
CHAPTER THREE
Keesha
I’m going to die. I know it. I swear to god, if I end up dying in the middle of the Idaho wilderness, I’m coming back to haunt someone’s ass.
“Jesus Christ!” she yelped as the tiny airplane hit another pocket of turbulence that tossed the matchbox-sized deathtrap around.
The fact that her pilot was chuckling like this was the most fun he’d ever had was not helping.
“Relax! It’s just the gusts from the mountains. Makes for a choppy ride sometimes. We’re perfectly safe,” he said, turning around in his seat and giving her a toothy grin.
All color drained from her face and Keesha’s long nails dug into the upholstery. Her Louis Vuitton bag had bounced out from under the seat and was now rattling around somewhere in the back of the plane. She was definitely not going to get out of her seat to go and find it or she’d end up being tossed and flipped right along with it.
“Oh, no you don’t! You keep your damn attention on those controls, mister! I intend to see this god-forsaken town all of you are blabbering about and I don’t want to do it in a body bag!” Keesha hissed, teetering somewhere between madness and acceptance of her untimely demise.
That’s exactly what I need. What else would make this week better than dying… in Idaho, in the freaking mountains, after quitting my job and burning all my bridges, on my way to see a guy I met on a dating app?
An involuntary groan escaped Keesha’s lips. She wasn’t sure whether it was because the airplane decided to suddenly drop a couple of dozen feet or because she was yet again caught considering her unbelievable situation.
How had she managed to go from a steady, stressful, but well-paying job in her field to being unemployed, unemployable and on her way to the middle of nowhere? She wasn’t sure, but she was willing to give at least half a limb to anyone who could shake some sense back into her and get her life back on track.
Of course, she was fine with the concept of that happening sometime after she had made it back on the ground safely.
“Relax! Slate Morenkov hasn’t crashed once in his life, unless he intended to, and he ain’t gonna start now! Wohoo!”
Keesha wasn’t convinced. Neither by the self-congratulation or the wohoo that preceded a sharp drop through the clouds. And it didn’t stop her from screaming, either.
A few minutes later, the plane trundled safely down onto the ground and taxied easily down the very short runway. Calling it a runway was being generous, though. Keesha had been on country roads that were both wider and better maintained than that pockmarked stretch of dirt and asphalt.
When they came to a stop and Slate cut the engines, he twirled around in his seat again and gave Keesha another dazzling smile.
“Welcome to Shifter Grove airport! We hope you have enjoyed your flight and will be flying with us again! Well, you’re gonna have to if you wanna leave. I’m the only guy that flies around here.”
Slate grinned and winked at her and Keesha actively wished she had something within reach to hurl at his head. With easy movements, he loped out of the chair and went past Keesha, picking up her purse and gathering its contents before Keesha could wrestle herself out of the seatbelt.
He kicked open the door and let down the two rickety steps that acted as the stairs. Slate reached a hand out to Keesha and she took it gladly, testing her luck on the stairs.
“Thank you for not killing me!”
“Thank you for not getting killed with me. Never seen turbulence that bad around here!” he said, wearing a cheeky grin.
Choppy ride her ass. She gave him a glare and he shrugged good-naturedly, before pointing towards the tarmac.
“I think someone’s waiting for you.”
Keesha whipped her head around. She almost dropped her purse when she saw the mountain of a man that had come to greet her. He stood at a respectful distance from the stairs, looking both sheepish and completely ready for action at the same time. Keesha gulped.
Holy shit, he’s big. What if I don’t like him? What if he doesn’t like me? Then I’ve come all the way to Idaho on some bird-brained scheme and I’m suddenly stuck with psycho
pilots and freaking man-bear-trees to keep me company. God, why can’t I just think things through…
That internal monologue was cut short by Battle smirking slightly, his gray eyes roaming up and down the length of her body. He looked as awkward as she felt, but as he took in the sight of her, he seemed to relax. Curiously enough, so did she. Keesha knew that look. She’d never seen it burn quite as intensely in anyone’s eyes, and it had never lit her aflame like a Roman candle, but she definitely knew what it was – lust.
And she knew what to do with it.
She conjured a smile on her lips and heaved her purse over her shoulder.
“You going to stand there or are you going to come and say hello?” she asked, her teeth grazing across her lower lip.
A muscle in his jaw twitched and Keesha felt herself completely flooding with expectation. It wasn’t just that he was checking her out, but she was doing the same to him. She was practically gaping at him, and she couldn’t muster the strength to stop.
He was just so… built.
Big and strong seemed like words that were nowhere near large enough to describe him. Battle was impressive and not just for a man. If he was so broad and muscled now, she had to wonder how he looked as a bear. She’d never seen a shifter in their animal form, but she was definitely burning with curiosity to see him change.
Battle crossed the few feet separating them and before Keesha could make another snappy remark, she’d been drawn against him in a long embrace. She couldn’t swallow the little mewl that bubbled up when he pressed her against him, her soft curves tight against his hard body. One of her hands rested on his bicep and the other was clinging to her purse, though she was seriously considering just dropping it and holding onto him instead.
It was like her breath was kicked out of her. He hadn’t said a word yet and already she felt like she’d known him for an eternity. And being against him just felt so good she couldn’t fathom letting go of him. All the stress that had been building inside of her over the last few days seemed to waft away for a few moments, leaving her simply… happy.
And a little bit horny.
Okay, a lot horny.
She’d expected to find a gruff, ruggedly handsome werebear, and what she’d found was a man dripping with raw sex appeal. Her knees were ready to buckle right then and there, and by the way his heart was pounding in his chest, she had to guess that he felt much the same.
“Hey, you two love birds. Any chance you could take this show a few feet to the right so I don’t end up running over you when I head out?” Slate’s amused voice called, watching them from the door.
Keesha and Battle jumped away from one another as if they’d been hit by lightning.
How long were we standing there? she wondered.
If the look on Slate’s face was anything to judge by, then quite a while.
“Thanks, man,” Battle said, taking Keesha’s heavy suitcases from Slate.
She’d had a hell of a time lugging them through the airport the first time, but he made it look like she’d packed a toothbrush and maybe a comb and that was it. Both of the suitcases that had clocked in at exactly the maximum allowed weight were nearly weightless in his hands.
Her mind immediately went to imagining what else those hands could do other than lifting heavy things. Keesha swallowed dryly, shaking her head a little to clear the lustful haze that was quickly forming.
Focus. You only met him just now. Try to keep your panties on until you at least get to exchange words with him, huh?
But it was so hard to do when he looked and sounded so good. Battle had that rich, deep timber voice that could make a woman swoon, and Keesha was close to doing just that. She scrunched her hands into fists, trying to regain her composure.
Battle gave her a look, his short-cropped dark hair and gray eyes making him look dark and mysterious, and her resolve to behave wavered again. How could he make her think of sex just like that? Must have been that jaw of his. Or those eyes. Or the bulging muscles she wanted to trace with her tongue. Okay, so there were a lot of reasons.
“My truck’s over there,” he said, his voice caressing her ears again.
“Okay,” she said, a little too eagerly. “Take me to your lair!”
She was going to have to kick herself for her overflowing enthusiasm later.
CHAPTER FOUR
Keesha
When Keesha and Battle arrived at the little cottage, Keesha felt like she might just drown any second. Battle wasn’t a man of many words, so she was left to mostly sit in silence as they both searched for things to say. That, however, gave her plenty of time to sneak glances at him and get more and more ridiculously aroused.
He should have a damn consumer’s warning on him. This just isn’t natural, Keesha thought, fanning herself with a notebook she’d fished out of her purse – it wasn’t even hot.
The trees were turning into a colorful array of red and yellow swatches, lining the way as Battle led them through backwater dirt roads. It was beautiful, but it made Keesha realize that winter wasn’t far behind and, as cold as things got in Massachusetts, she was sure it would get colder still in Idaho. Of course, why she was considering the long-term ramifications of local weather when her trip was only supposed to last for two weeks was an entirely different question altogether.
“So, this is home,” Battle said a little unsurely as he parked the truck.
“It’s cute!”
Keesha hopped out of the truck before Battle could come around the car and open the door for her. She whipped out her phone right away and took a few snaps of the little cabin in the woods, secluded and far from anyone else. She thought it was entirely adorable and rustic. Only the smallest of voices at the back of her head reminded her that she was alone with a man she didn’t know very well, in a cabin, in the woods… without any neighbors around.
He can’t be worse than Parker. Even if he is a deranged ax murderer.
Sure enough, Battle picked up her two suitcases and a worn-looking ax out of the bed of the truck and headed for the front door. Keesha tried to post the pic she took to Instagram, but she was getting no cell-reception and obviously no cellular internet either – figures.
With a sigh, she tucked the phone back into her purse and followed Battle, enjoying the view from behind. His ass looked as good as the rest of him. Throughout the drive, she’d had serious issues with dragging her eyes away from the tight, corded muscles that seemed to morph into the tattoos on his arms. He’d told her he had a few tats, but she hadn’t expected to like them as much as she did.
Bad boy bear – yummy!
Battle pushed open the front door and stepped in.
“No lock?”
“This is shifter country. Anyone who wants to get in is going to get in. Having a lock on a door would just mean I’d have to replace a door,” Battle said nonchalantly.
He put down her suitcases and kicked off his boots. Keesha followed his lead, stepping out of her high heels and letting out a particularly satisfied groan when her feet hit the hardwood floor. It felt like heaven not teetering up high anymore, in shoes that were made to look good but not feel good.
“You know, you probably can’t wear those much here,” Battle said, pointing loosely at her shoes.
“Why not?”
“Well, I’m no expert, but I’d imagine they don’t make for good mud-wading or rock-climbing shoes, and we have a lot of both.”
Battle shrugged, looking a little bit worried about her choice of footwear. She thought it was adorable. His thick brow furrowed and he looked every bit like the thoughtful bear she assumed him to be – big and ferocious but utterly cuddly. She just hoped he couldn’t smell how much she wanted him, to at least give her the pretense of playing hard to get… Though she might have ruined that by showing up in Idaho in the first place.
They’d been sort of standing around for nearly a minute before Battle emerged from his reverie and reached his hand out to her.
“Co
me on, I’ll give you the tour,” he said.
She slipped her hand into his, butterflies fluttering up the length of her spine as their skin touched, and followed him. The cabin really was tiny. It only had a living room-kitchen that led out onto the porch, one bedroom and a bathroom. There was also a small storage space tucked away in the back, but that was barely bigger than a closet.
All of it was peculiarly empty, as well – like no one lived there at all. There were fresh sheets on the bed and another set at the foot of the bed. There wasn’t anything on the walls or shelves, and Keesha could just spy one bag thrown haphazardly in a corner in the bedroom – the only sign that Battle had been there before at all.
“You can have the bedroom. I’ll sleep on the couch.”
She almost wanted to protest at that.
“Did you just move in?” she asked curiously.
Battle looked a bit uncomfortable at her question. He nodded, letting go of Keesha’s hand to go retrieve her luggage. She felt ridiculous for wanting to tell him to come back and just hold her hand some more. He picked up the suitcases and brought them into the bedroom, setting them down gently by the only wardrobe.
“I did, yeah. I just got a job around here and I wasn’t sure whether or not I was going to stay. But I guess I’m staying now.”
“What made you change your mind?”
His steely gray eyes sought out hers and her breath got caught in her throat a little as he looked at her. There was an intensity about him that just grabbed her and wouldn’t let go. Keesha was used to dealing with powerful men with big egos, but Battle was nothing like that. Powerful, yes, but the ego seemed to be tucked away further behind the capabilities. He didn’t need to think he was impressive, he just was. At best, he looked completely unaware that he was great at all, but Keesha had no doubt that he was.
“You did.”
“I did?” she asked, her carefully shaped brows shooting up in surprise. “How?”
“You came here. I can’t leave now.”
He said that like it was the most natural thing. Battle pursed his lips slightly, not a hint of a joke about him, and finished with a mild shrug. It was like a mountain shifting a little. He seemed to think nothing of what he had just said, but Keesha’s world was left reeling. She’d never met a man who was quite so… frank. And honestly, it was a massive turn-on. Not that she needed any more encouragement.